Southern Comfort_Chandler's Story Read online

  “I think it has something to do with being in the military. I know Banton is a lot older than us, but John is closer to our age. It’s like they have been there, done that, and have grown past all of it. They went through some tough stuff while they were serving, and they lost a close friend. I guess it puts a lot of things in perspective,” I surmised.

  “Yeah, John told me about Sam. He didn’t say much, but I know he still misses him. Do you know how it happened?”

  “Just that he disappeared off the ship after a mission. I’m not sure about the details…” I trailed off, and then changed the subject. “I think I’ll go get my laptop, study since finals are Monday and Tuesday.”

  I rose, and went to the kitchen to get my laptop case. As I reached down to retrieve it from a chair, I glanced over at the silent, dark monitors. Not able to stop myself, I went over and slid a mouse to bring the screen to life. There was a faint sound coming from the speakers. …wounded, call for someone to pick him up at the south entrance….the speakers seemed to crackle with digital distortion, and the voices drifted in and out, like the signals were weak.

  Then I heard Banton’s voice, and rapid gunfire…all over us, twenty or thirty, we’re outnumbered….know we’re here…more distortion, and then his voice faded out. I stood frozen, unable to move. They were in a firefight, and there were twenty or thirty terrorists involved, some of them possibly Orcos.

  I was suddenly ice cold, and a sick feeling rolled in the pit of my stomach. I felt so helpless. I stood, unable to take my eyes from the monitors. I raced around the table, bumping every mouse to bring the screens out of sleep mode. There was nothing. They must be in another location where they hadn’t put any surveillance equipment.

  Then the audio came back on. …Separated…Banton…not here, pull out, pull back…It sounded like John’s voice. …fire driving them out. The smoke was too thick…Then I heard a voice I didn’t recognize. …all but Gastaneau accounted for. Report back…

  I sank down into a chair. Banton wasn’t with the rest of the unit! I sat stone-like, watching the clock on the wall. After about ten minutes, I picked up my laptop and returned to the living room. Brie was holding her purse.

  “I think I’ll head on home. I left a message on John’s cell to call me.” Then she noticed the look on my face. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m just tired. I think I’ll put Ava to bed, I’ll see you later.” I picked Ava up, and carried her upstairs as Brie let herself out.

  I sat on the bed while Ava drifted off to sleep. The tears of frustration began to flow as I slowly lay my cell phone down beside me on the pillow. I wanted to scream my lungs out! One thousand different possibilities began to run through my head. Banton had been killed…or he had been captured. They were torturing him…he’d been bitten…or he was badly wounded somewhere under the streets of the city. He could be hiding out, waiting for his chance to get past them. Or he’d been taken away and we’d never find out what happened to him, just like Sam…

  I’d known. This feeling of apprehension I had every time I tried to enjoy our relationship or my happiness, had warned me. I’d known this perfect, overwhelming love I had for Banton would be taken away. Just like my parents. All the promises he’d made to me that nothing would ever come between us, he made in vain. This fate was out of his control.

  I’d never felt more alone. A deep ache began, an ache that seemed to stop my heart from beating. I curled up into a tight ball, with my eyes fixed on my cell phone lying on my pillow. Around four a.m., exhausted from crying, I finally drifted off to sleep with my arms around Ava.

  * * *

  The cell finally buzzed around 6:30. Bolting upright, I flipped it open without even looking at the number.

  “Banton? I gasped in a raspy voice into the phone.

  “No, Andie. It’s me,” John replied, in a deadly quiet tone.

  “What’s happened? Where is Banton?” my voice broke as I asked.

  “He’s missing, Andie. He got separated from us last night, and Colin was wounded, but he’s okay. Banton was with me, but when he realized Colin was in trouble he went back to help Ty get him out. Ty dragged Colin out from the sewer’s entrance, but Banton stayed back to lay down cover fire until they were in the clear. He never surfaced.”

  I’d already guessed as much from what I’d overheard on their equipment. My tear ducts were dry, and I took a deep breath. A dry sob escaped from my chest.

  “We went back a couple of hours ago to search for him again. We found some of his equipment, but there was no sign of him. If he’d been killed, Andie, we would have found his body. He’s still alive, I’m sure of it. Hang in there, all right? I’ll be home as soon as I wrap some things up here. Are you alone?”

  “Yes.” I managed to choke out. “I mean, Ava’s here. Brie went home last night after Everett left.”

  “Okay, just hang tight. And I will call the minute I know something.”

  I flipped my cell shut. The familiar feeling was back – that feeling some part of my insides had just died with a loved one…the feeling that made me like a zombie, numbing my senses.

  I left Ava asleep snuggled under the covers, and opened my closet to pull a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt on. The house was deadly quiet around me, and the silence seemed to envelope me as my legs went weak, and I sank down on the staircase near the top. The cloudlike sphere materialized at the bottom of the staircase, and slowly drifted up the stairs to meet me. I shuddered as a cold draft blew past, like someone had just opened a refrigerator door beside me. I lay my head down on the top step, and began to sob as the smell of gardenias wrapped around me in the stillness.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A knock at the door broke the silence around me an hour later. I jumped up, and the sphere was gone. The hair on the back of my neck rose in apprehension as I reached the halfway point down the staircase to the door. I rolled my shoulders in an attempt to shrug the uneasy feeling I had. Struggling clumsily with the lock, I opened the door to find Everett and Mr. Philippe, and a third man I didn’t recognize.

  “Bebe, we’ve come to get you…

  …Chandler! Get back!”

  Everything happened in slow motion. Everett pulled me behind him and Philippe while they fell into a crouched position, as if they were animals ready to attack. I watched them in disbelief, Everett would never attack anyone.

  I heard a rumbling coming from both of them, like great cats in Africa about to leap at prey. Their gazes were both fixed on a spot on the staircase but it wasn’t my friendly cloud. I couldn’t see anything at first, and then my swollen eyes began to focus on a hazy form, an outline of a man. It moved down the staircase right where I’d passed just seconds ago. And then he materialized. ..the man with dreadlocks and glowing green eyes.

  I held my breath, unable to move. The creature stood staring at us curiously, turning his head to listen. Then abruptly he flew back up the stairs, as I heard Ava’s soft voice. “Mommy Andler?”

  “No!” I screamed, bolting after him and forgetting my fear. All I felt was rage, rage that this thing would dare go after her. Everett grabbed me and pulled me back, as the two other men raced up the staircase after the Orco at inhuman speed. By the time I got there, they were staring him down from the doorway to my bedroom. He held Ava, whimpering in his arms. She was terrified, holding her little hands out to us. The Orco’s teeth were fully extended and throbbing, poised just over her throat.

  “Just give us the child. Don’t harm her. Just give her to us, and you are free to go,” Philippe commanded calmly. Their reactions made absolutely no sense to me.

  How did they know what this man was? And why would he be intimidated by them?

  The monster leered at me, and then back down at Ava. She was wailing now, terrified of him. My heart was absolutely bursting through my chest, aching to hold her. He looked down through the window outside as he knelt on the window seat. Holding Ava closer to his face, he closed his eyes, taking in h
er scent. My heart thudded in my chest so loudly, I felt like it was cutting the silence in the room. Then abruptly, he dropped her to the floor in one swift motion, raising the window and dropping out of view, vanishing without a trace. It was so fast I almost couldn’t focus on the motions.

  Everett ran to Ava, and picked her up before she’d barely touched the floor.

  Ava continued to wail in his arms. “Sweet Bebe…you are safe now. Uncle Everett’s got you. You are safe.” He glanced up at me, relief evident on his face. I relaxed, and glanced over at Philippe and his friend, and then I froze.

  Their eyes both glowed with an unearthly light, and I could make out the slight outline of fangs below their lips.

  I backed up into the landing at the top of the stairs. “Get away from us, both of you.” I trembled…my world was swiftly turned upside down. The two men with Everett…I looked to him as he followed me out into the hallway, still clutching Ava to him. He spoke to me as if speaking to a small child. “Chandler, it’s all right. Calm down. They won’t hurt you. They’re here to protect you. You have to calm down and let me explain.”

  I sat down in the floor, trembling from sheer exhaustion. I was so confused, and frightened didn’t even begin to cover it. I looked up at Everett helplessly while he handed Ava down to me. She buried her head in my shoulder, and clung to me as tightly as I did to her. Quietly, Everett put his hand out to help me up, and then placed his arm around my shoulder while the two elegantly dressed vampires came out to the landing to join us.

  “Let’s go downstairs, and talk. There is much you need to know, and we need to be on our way soon. Mr. Philippe, Ava’s little duds are in the small dresser in Chandler’s room. Would you pack several things in the diaper bag, and bring it downstairs?” Philippe nodded, and went to pack Ava’s bag. I followed Everett down the stairs and into the living room, dazed with confusion. He sat me down on the sofa, and then sat down across from me on the loveseat. The other Orco hovered close by in the foyer.

  “Chandler, do you trust me, Bebe? Do you trust me with your life?”

  “Yes…”I stammered, still unable to gauge where this was going.

  “And you know I love you, that I would never hurt you in any way?” he asked, studying my face intently. “I need for you to keep an open mind, and not to judge. Do not jump to conclusions. I need to come clean with you, and let you know what I am.”

  I was thinking, this is a really strange time to come out of the closet. If I hadn’t been so traumatized by the vampire thing and Banton’s disappearance, I might have had to laugh.

  Then he stared at me, his eyes began to glow, and fangs appeared just under his top lip as he opened his mouth.

  I sat on the sofa, stunned. My world flipped upside down. Everett was one of them. I pressed myself further into the couch, clinging to Ava.

  “Chandler,” Everett spoke my name softly, leaning toward me with his palm outstretched. “I know this is a lot for you to process, Ma Petit Bebe. Yes, we are all three creatures of legend, Philippe, Grant, and me. But not in the way you think of them. You’ve only seen the rogues, the undisciplined scum who roam the streets of the city, like the ones who run with the Somali pirates. We are part of an old, secret society living among you. We would never, ever hurt you. We do not feed on humans, and we do not kill. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

  I nodded slowly. Everett was an Orco, or vampire – a creature other than human.

  “We arrived just in time. I never imagined I would have to tell you like this. We never expected to find that scum in here with you.”

  I nodded, the realization dawning just how close Ava and I had been to losing our lives.

  “Now, for the reason we came. Our underground has been monitoring this situation, and the SEALs operation, for weeks now. That is part of the reason I’ve hung around so much. That, and the fact I needed to keep you safe, darlin’.” The old Everett peeked through for an instant. “Last night, one of our operatives brought Banton to one of our safe houses. We’ve come to take you to him.”

  “Banton’s alive? Where!” I exclaimed, scaring Ava, who sat quietly in my lap.

  “We are going to take you to him now.” I jumped up and handed Ava to Everett and ran up the stairs to get my purse, passing Mr. Philippe on the staircase, not giving the creature a second glance. Banton was alive! I ran back downstairs, and out the door Everett held open for me. Philippe held the back door of Everett’s car until I climbed in, and then got up front with Grant. Everett sat in the seat next to me, and buckled Ava and me in, taking my hands in his. Ava was silent and still, seeming to sense something was wrong.

  “Banton is wounded, bebe, but he is alive. Our people, the Aldon, are taking care of him. I contacted his father, and he is on his way to meet us. We couldn’t take him to a normal hospital, under the circumstances. Do you know who his family physician is?”

  I began to make some sense of what Everett was telling me. “Banton has mentioned a Doc Lane, but I’m not sure that’s who you mean. His father will know how to contact him.” I was trembling at the thought Banton was wounded. “How badly is he hurt?”

  Everett responded as he flipped his cell open and began to dial Banton’s father. “He was conscious, and told us not to contact the Navy or John until he was under his doctor’s care. He also wanted me to bring you to him. Then he lost consciousness. He’s been shot, but it looks like it was clean, straight through his shoulder. He’s lost a lot of blood and we need to get him to someone who can treat him. There is a doctor in N’awlins, one of our own underground, who has been contacted and is on his way to help.”

  Matt Gastaneau answered his cell. I gathered from Everett’s end he was on his way to meet us, and would be there in about an hour. He’d already contacted his friend, Doctor Lane, and he was preparing for us to bring Banton to him. I was literally sliding back and forth in the seat, but seventy miles an hour wasn’t fast enough to get me to Banton. Ava clung to my arm in the seat beside me.

  “Bebe, you don’t look like you’ve had any sleep, and you’ve fairly cried your eyes shut.” He pressed his hand to my cheek, and I put my head on his shoulder. He was the same Everett I knew and loved. I didn’t care how many strange teeth he had.

  Grant turned the car down a long drive, and then curved through the trees and into a large driveway. A rather large, classic colonial-style house with massive white columns greeted us. I jumped out of the car and ran up the stairs, leaving Everett to tend to Ava. The door swung open as a small, trim woman greeted me.

  “You must be Miss Collins. Lieutenant Gastaneau has been asking for you. Come this way.” She led me down a hallway, and then turned and gestured into a doorway to the right. Banton lay on a large bed, covered with a sheet up to his chest. His shoulder had been wrapped with white gauze, a large bloodstain soaking through the fabric. His face was sickly white. Running across to the bed, I eased down to sit on the mattress beside him.

  “Banton?” I said softly, touching his face.

  His eyes opened, and he smiled at me weakly. “You look awful, sweetheart. Why have you been crying?” His voice was thick with his concern for me. I laughed at him through my tears.

  “I look awful?” I caressed his face with the back of my hand. “Banton, I overheard your communications last night in the kitchen. I heard you go back in for Colin, and I heard you say you were cut off! I was up all night. I thought you’d been killed.” I began to sob.

  “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry you went through that. I’m fine.” He took my hand in his. “I’m going to be all right. As soon as they get me to Doc, he’ll know what to do. Chandler, you have to call John for me.” He closed his eyes, resting for a moment. “Let him know I’m safe and I’ll check in, but not to tell command yet. You can’t let him know who I’m with, or about Everett and his friends…” He opened his eyes and studied my face for my reaction about Everett.

  “Yes, I know. I haven’t had time to really process it yet, but I will. Did you
know? About Everett?” I asked.

  “No. Not until the guy who found me brought me here last night. Everett stayed with me all night. It was the first time I realized there were civilized Orcos. I still can’t say the word without it feeling surreal.”

  “I know. He had to tell me earlier, when he came to get Ava and me. Banton, the Orco, the one with the dreadlocks…he was in the house. Everett and Philippe chased him off.”

  “In the house with you! God, Chandler…”

  “They found him. I had no idea. But everything is all right now. Shhhh.” I quieted him down as he tried to sit up.

  Everett and Philippe came into the room. “Banton, we are going to move you to your Dr. Lane’s clinic.” They rolled a gurney into the room, and lifted him up and over onto it. He grimaced with the pain, but made no sound. I followed them out the side door of the house, and then climbed into the van with him.

  “Chandler, I’m taking Ava with me, and I will ride with Banton’s father when he arrives. We’ll be minutes behind you, all right?”

  “Sure. Thank you for everything, Everett.” I kissed his cheek and Ava’s, too.

  “You are so welcome, Darlin.” Grant and Philippe closed the doors, and then hopped into the front of the van.

  Banton kept his eyes closed most of the way there. I just sat silently holding his hand. I suddenly remembered John, and flipped my cell open and dialed his number.

  “Chandler, honey, I don’t have any news yet,” he answered.

  “I do. Hold on. Banton is alive, he’s wounded, and we are getting help now. I can’t give you any more details. He said for you to not inform command yet, until he can talk to you. Just hold tight, okay? He will explain everything.”

  “Andie, what the hell is going on? Who found him?” he demanded.